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Last Sat.(10.28) afternoon in central Seoul: KCTU celebrated the 1st anniversary of the "Candlelight Revolution" with its own event. Under the slogan "The candle's burning desire: A world without 'irregular'employment circumstances... C'mon, let's fight for it!" about 4000 labor activists staged a powerful struggle demo/rally...

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KCTU's president Han Sang-gyun, who is still in jail despite the campaigns by the international labour movement and human rights groups, was awarded by the AFL-CIO's [2017]"George Meany-Lane Kirkland Human Rights Award"...

Here is his strong acceptance message:

President Richard Trumka, Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler, Executive Vice-President Tefere Gebre, Members of the AFL-CIO Executive Council, Delegates, and International Guests participating in the AFL-CIO Convention in St. Louis, I would like to convey my solidarity greetings through my comrades who are joining you on my behalf.

There is quite a chill in the air here in Hwasung Correction Centre, where I remain imprisoned. But my heart is warmed with the knowledge that the U.S. trade union movement is with me. I am saddened that I cannot join you today. If I was there, I would greet you with the powerful Korean word, which means fight - Tujaeng!

I understand that this award is to recognize international trade unionists and activists fighting for human rights and labor rights on behalf of working people throughout the world. I am humbled and honored to receive this award following in the footsteps of courageous activists and global trade unions such as Maina Kiai, former Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Assembly and Association, who kindly visited and interviewed me in the detention center to report the labor rights violations in South Korea to the world; the Building and Wood Workers’ International headed by General Secretary Ambet Yuson, who visited me here this past August to discuss how we could improve the rights of migrant workers and precarious workers in the construction industry in South Korea and globally; and the Trade Union Confederation of Swaziland, which despite tremendous repression, more so than here in South Korea, continues its struggle for workers’ rights.

The previous anti-trade union government of South Korea under Park Geun Hye was on the side of large business conglomerates and the elite 1% and aggressively pushed ahead with regressive labor reforms, making it easier for employers to dismiss workers, expand precarious jobs, and increase severe exploitation of workers and gross inequality. At the same time the government utilized the politics of fear to frustrate anyone who would resist. However, the KCTU could not and would not be stopped. As we have done since our founding in 1995, we have continued our fight and struggle against the dictatorship of capitalists which have destroyed genuine democracy and the livelihoods of workers in South Korea. In the end, the KCTU was on the front lines, where we were the fuse and wick of the candles lit by 17 million people who successfully ousted President Park Geun Hye.

In accepting this award, I do so with the full understanding that you are not recognizing me as an individual but the KCTU and our struggle for genuine democracy, economic justice, and trade union rights. I also accept this award with a commitment to work with the AFL-CIO to build a more just and equal society where workers’ dignity and rights are respected in South Korea and in the United States. It is my sincere hope that our two organizations will continue to work together on issues that impact workers in both of our countries with mutual respect, solidarity, and support.

Recently, the KCTU has been focused on a broad campaign to ensure that workers have the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining. This is a challenge that we not only face in South Korea, but also in the United States. We are also challenged by the fact that union density is declining and a major reason for this is that big business and governments are in collusion to prevent workers from organizing.

The laws and institutions are designed to repress rather than to facilitate trade union rights. The corporations are hostile to trade unions. More and more workers are not eligible to exercise their fundamental labor rights due to precarious forms of employment.

The Korean firms operating in the United States and the US firms operating in South Korea share anti-union tactics. It is as if they are perfecting the art of union busting through mutual cooperation and exchanges. To fight this, I would like to suggest that we begin to exchange innovative strategies and tactics to develop joint campaigns targeting corporations of mutual interest.

Second, KCTU and the AFL-CIO have campaigned together to derail the negotiation for the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement which aimed to give bigger power to transnational corporations. President Trump triggered a revision of the FTA and the two governments will accelerate talks to revise the agreement. The current Korea-US FTA already benefits the interest of capital at the expense of workers. The KCTU will not accept any agreement that will further worsen the situation of workers. Instead, I would like to propose that we work together to build a trade system that serves the interests of workers and rewrite the rules of the economy to end corporate greed and hold TNCs accountable for their global supply chains.

Last but not least, I would like to request the support of the AFL-CIO in our call for peace and to stop a possible war in the Korean Peninsula to protect the safety of people living there. Recently Trump said in the UN General Assembly "If [the US] is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea." This speech turned the Peninsula into a testbed for a preemptive military strike. The war crisis in the Korean Peninsula is running to an extreme. Any nuclear war threat is unacceptable as it would make it impossible for the people to democratically control matters of life and safety. I call on your support to stop all the military actions and extreme confrontations around the Korean Peninsula. Let’s light a candle together to show the world that we are longing for peace and not war, in Korea and in the world.

My early beginnings as a political activist were when I was 18 and I joined thousands of students, labor activists, and everyday citizens in the Gwangju Uprising against the 1980 coup d’etat. As I witnessed those who fought until the very end taking the last stand, I realized that the struggle for political democracy, economic justice, and human rights is the responsibility of all of us. In this struggle, we can only win if we are united and provide solidarity based on mutual respect. With this prestigious award, I know that the AFL-CIO is our comrade in struggle and through unity and solidarity we will work to build worker power to win.

In closing, I want to once again express my deepest thanks and congratulations to the leadership and membership of the AFL-CIO. I will look forward to joining you in person in a joint campaign to end corporate greed and to stop any possible war.